We all know that we shouldn't believe everything we read online. I can still hear my 9th grade English teacher's voice in the back of my head warning us about the unreliability of Wikipedia. While the internet has become an invaluable source for education and connection, it can also be a cesspool of misinformation. In the current age of "fake news", it can be difficult to discern between reliable sources and unfounded claims. However, sometimes people are blatantly wrong, and their statements deserve addressing.
That's where the subreddit r/ConfidentlyIncorrect comes in. With almost 800k members, this group is dedicated to gathering examples of misinformation that have been proudly proclaimed online. It houses countless examples of tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram stories and more with objectively incorrect takes that we only wish had been shared ironically. Enjoy this list we've compiled at Bored Panda of some of the best examples, and if you're in the mood to laugh at even more confidently incorrect statements later, check out some of our previous compilations here and here.
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Brb, Going To Dye My Hair Rainbow Colors So People Like This Will Be Repelled
Ignorance may be bliss, but being ridiculed on Reddit certainly is not. Logically, we should back down when called out for spreading misinformation. Interestingly enough, however, a bruised ego can actually fuel belief in false ideas. Brendan Nyhan, a Dartmouth College political scientist, explored this so-called "backfire effect" in a 2021 article. Nyhan explained that a typical response to mistaken beliefs is to try to "set the record straight by providing accurate information—for instance, by providing evidence of the scientific consensus on climate change". Unfortunately, this is not always the most effective route.
When the listener is already skeptical, they are not likely to have an open mind. Nyhan found that even “corrective information in news reports may fail to reduce misperceptions and can sometimes increase them for the ideological group most likely to hold those misperceptions”. For example, a Democrat is more likely to accept the correction of a false statement George W. Bush made about Iraq than a Republican is. It can be hard for people to recognize their fallibility without taking it personally.
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Luckily, the backfire effect is not impenetrable. Despite being stubborn, but we are capable of changing our minds. One larger danger making misperceptions difficult to eradicate, Nyhan notes, is the media. He shares that media "frequently fails to aggressively fact-check false statements by political elites or resorts to neutral 'he said' 'she said' coverage of factual disputes". Apparently, "survey evidence indicates that false beliefs about high-profile issues often persist for years or decades despite extensive efforts by journalists, scientists, and public officials to set the record straight".
A notable example Nyhan provides of this is the belief that US troops found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in 2003. It was made clear at the time and in the years following that there had been none found, yet a poll in 2015 revealed that 42% of Americans, including 51% of Republicans, still believed the contrary.
A similar conclusion was found when a survey was taken in 2015 asking Americans what religion President Obama practiced. Despite Obama labeling himself as Christian and attending church for years, rumors swirled that he was secretly Muslim. The poll found that 29% of Americans, including 43% of Republicans, still considered him to be Muslim.
Hiv And Covid Are The Same...right ?
Imagine Assuming People Erase Their Own Culture By Themselves
I now live in the hopes of getting an opportunity to call someone a goddamn Vitamin D deficient circus clown.
In terms of fragile egos contributing to the flourishing of misinformation, fitting in is apparently a higher priority to us than facts. Explored in a New York Times article by Max Fisher, the need to feel like we belong is surprisingly powerful. "As much as we like to think of ourselves as rational beings who put truth-seeking above all else," Fisher begins. "We are social animals wired for survival." He notes that the hostility fueled by idea polarization makes us cling to the groups where we do feel we belong. "Once our brains switch into 'identity-based conflict' mode, we become desperately hungry for information that will affirm that sense of us versus them, and much less concerned about things like truth."
Hunting Vegies
🤡🤣🤣🤣
Many of us know how political differences can sever relationships and allow prejudices to blossom, but they can also make us prone to spreading false information. An example Fisher uses is how sensitive people are to social reward. "Research demonstrates that people who get positive feedback for posting inflammatory or false statements become much more likely to do so again in the future." All press is good press, I suppose?
In fact, when retweeting information, "truthfulness of a post or accuracy of a claim was not an identified motivation". Jon-Patrick Allem, a professor of research at the University of Southern California, investigated the role social media played in fueling misinformation about Covid-19. His research concluded that "Twitter users tend to retweet to show approval, argue, gain attention and entertain". It is a social networking site, after all. But the lack of concern for truthfulness is worrying when 7 out of 10 Twitter users consider the site a news source.
Mistakes Were Made
Satan is doing a good job with his church, they're getting more likeable every day! O.o
When You Can't Tell Antennas And Solar Panels Apart
Glenn Beck Is Bad At History
Awh, who doesn’t learn the forces of nature governing our very lives in physics and chemistry class? Gravity, electromagnetism, weak and strong force and of course… the constitution of the USA
One unfortunate statistic about fake news is that age is the most accurate predictor of who will share misinformation. According to a study from Princeton University and New York University, "people 65 years of age and over are seven times more likely to share fake news than those aged 18-29". Those of us who have grown up in the age of the internet are naturally more savvy online, and it can be hard to teach our elders this digital literacy. Especially on platforms such as Facebook, it is incredibly easy for misinformation to be rapidly shared into echo chambers.
What’s The Welsh Word For ‘Overconfident’?
Anyone else slightly concerned that Great Britain STILL wants to erase other people's cultures?
If It's Not White, It's Uncivilized
I'm Counting Three Things Wrong With This
Looking for ways to break out of your own social media echo chamber? Christopher Seneca wrote a piece for Wired sharing ideas on how to avoid perpetual confirmation bias online. As comforting as it is to associate ourselves with like-minded individuals, we must not forget that challenging our ideas can be important. "Social media companies therefore rely on adaptive algorithms to assess our interests and flood us with information that will keep us scrolling," notes Seneca. But we can actively try to present ourselves with new information. The first step Seneca suggests is to "like everything". Algorithms cannot pinpoint you if you don't let them.
It's A Hoax
They're So Close To Getting It
User Tells Nfl Player To Take A Class In Economics. Well...
To be fair, a BA in a relevant topic just gets him started. That said, anyone saying that gov't officials don't have an effect on the stock market, or even more important, aren't privy to insider information because of their jobs, is either massively ignorant or deliberately lying.
The next step in branching out is to "swallow your pre-conceived opinions and follow prestige publications across the political spectrum". This helps you avoid news that is too far on either end of the spectrum, which is often pushed to incite arguments. Seneca also says to be wary of who you follow and what role they play on social media. If a friend has many followers and posts frequently, but does not follow many others, particularly no one with differing opinions, their content may not be for you. Next, Seneca recommends changing your settings to make your feed chronological, rather than the default, which pushes content the algorithm expects you to engage with. Lastly, create space for new voices. If you know someone shares your beliefs, consider muting them to allow someone else in.
Virgin Mary Irl, Amirite?
I Do Believe We Have
Soup Of The Day
In terms of combatting the spread of misinformation, Nyhan does not want individuals to feel they are at fault. He says we "must first recognize the role that elites play in promoting false beliefs and linking them to people’s political identities". He explained that the media must stop sensationalizing news and promoting belief polarization. News outlets should "seek to avoid amplifying false claims... when discussing matters of fact and science". There is not a need for messages to be "balanced" when that means providing a platform for conspiracy theorists and deniers of science. "Instead, reporters and science communicators should emphasize the views of nonpartisan experts."
2020 + 80
Almost Like They Was Wrong
while simultaneously believing that the millions of people that have dropped dead of COVID is a lie.
From This Example I'd Say: Hard No To Homeschool, Lady
Nyhan goes on to say that personal experiences can be powerful, and he encourages readers to be observant. It is harder to deny the effects of climate change while seeing extreme weather events more frequently with our own eyes. He notes that many Americans "attribute their changed views on gay marriage to personal experiences" with those in the LGBT community. Even the widespread consensus that smoking causes cancer was helped along by many people who know someone with a smoking-related illness.
Why Won't You Say Merry Christmas?!
"That? No, that doesn't say Merry Christmas! I don't know what that says!"
“Atheism Is A Religion”
Wait.... wasn't man created using dust and gods breath? And woman from a chunk of Adams rib cage? And we're crazy?? Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!
Fixed
Wow! My depression is cured all thanks to this guy on the internet! My depression is suddenly gone because it is a state of mind! /s 😐
Lastly, it is not lost on Nyhan how responsive elected officials are to negative press. He calls for "high-profile scrutiny to elite rhetoric" to deter the spread of misinformation. Essentially, Nyhan is asking for those with a platform to be held accountable. Though we can choose what media we consume, to a degree, preventing false claims from being uttered in the first place is the most efficient tactic in combatting fake news.
Not Only Were They Wrong About The Time Limit, They Were Also Mathematically Incorrect 😭
💀
How Do People Believe This Rubbish
🤣🤣🤣🤣 dear lord imagine being so menopause brained you forget about menopause and blame your natural biological process on your boyfriends' vaccination.
I can't help but feel a tinge of sympathy for internet users who are drowned by the flood of misinformation that many of us know how to maneuver out of. But we must hold others responsible for clinging to false ideas and making them more widespread, especially beliefs that carry harmful prejudices. We are so lucky to live in an age where information is infinitely accessible, let's all try our best to seek out reliable sources. Never forget to engage your critical thinking skills, and when in doubt, check those facts.
Tetanus Shot Is Literally A Vaccine. The Dose You Get When Injured Is Literally A Booster
There Are No Lesbians In China
Does „I looked extensively“ mean: looked at the first Google search result?
I Think I've Proven My Point
So now we "proof our points" by spreading opinions? I see the problem a bit clearer now. -.-
Scotus Justice Worried About “Catching A Baby”
Speaking With No Accent
Everybody on this planet has an accent. I know majority of Americans know this but I am clarifying this for those that don’t know.
And you get accents from living in a place where people speak with that accent. You get used to saying things a certain way.
Load More Replies...It's not a real accent, but for example BBC English is a thing and it's meant to be clear and neutral so people with different accents can understand. Many other languages have a version of this too
Load More Replies..."they decided to change it in the 1800's" - I mean,,, how is this person NOT making a joke here...
I love the idea that King George (from a very Germanic blood line), in between cray bouts, went "hey kids we should totally have a vote and decide to change the English language and accents to something completely different because those blasted Americans have taken the accentless English we all love and we cannot speak like them anymore because of the war"
Load More Replies...It's true. In 1700 everyone in Britain had a big meeting and decided it'd be cool to have an accent. In 1701 it was written into law with heavy fines for anyone not having an accent. Regular offenders would face more severe punishment such as being hung drawn and quartered, stoned to death or, for the worst cases of repeated non-accentedness the perpetrator was required to exclusively use the bastardised American spellings of words. To make things worse they would be legally required to say all words in the most inexplicably American way. For example classics such as chips when meaning crisps, fries when meaning chips and aluminum instead of aluminium. Approximately 300,000 Britons were sentenced to death between 1702-1704 purely on the basis of wrongly pronouncing the h in herb but not in vehicle. Sad, cruel times. And don't get me started on the accent wars of 1764-1792 which resulted the accentuation reformation proclamation of 1801 in which the Scots were allowed their own accent
For some context - Those of us raised in the midwest of the usa, have been told we have no accents. What is meant is ... that we have the most BLAND of the american accents.
I live in Kentucky and have been told that, too, but only by people who have similar accents, lol. It's all relative.
Load More Replies...If you're from the mid-west, trust me, you have an accent. Every region has a cadence to their speech.
Actually, many distinct American accents are reminiscent of the origin of those who settled their regions. There are some isolated areas where the locals speak in a variation of the common Elizabethan-era British accent, others with a modified Scotch-Irish influence. Additionally, upper class southerners may not realize they speak in a softened version of upper class Georgian English, sometimes mixed with a bit of French pronunciation blended in, depending on where in the south they’re from.
Lol! The US has many different accents and dialects depending on the state we live in.
Part of my training to be a military advisor was to learn to differentiate accents in Arabic. Like Spanish, every country/region with an Arabic speaking population has a distinct and identifiable accent/cadence. The hardest thing to overcome? I was taught Arabic, including the Q'ran, by wealthy Saudis in the US, then Riyadh, so to everyone else I sounded like a snotty rich prig. The Saudi version of Arabic is considered the "purest" form, but man, that accent can alienate folks from less wealthy countries!
Load More Replies...I love the tortured explanation for "why Americans don't have an accent". People just make up any old thing.
I've never been so dismayed with humanity than I am reading this list. Wow.
Omaha Regional Dialect ✊ Definitely an accent, but universally the easiest to understand by other English speakers.
we just don't have accents to ourselves. but we have them, like a southern drawl or for instance i have what's called a new england accent
Or for cryin' out loud! Don'tcha know you got an accent? You betcha! Uff da!
And we here in the deep South had a meeting in the early 1900s also and decided that we would have an accent and say stuff like y'all bless your heart things like that just to confuse people
Just about every state in America speaks in a slightly if not widely different accent depending on what part of the country you're in. Each accented region has a blurred border called an isogloss. Pretty sure some bored linguist wasn't sitting around making up terms and concepts to tarnish their reputation
While the accent part is bull***, they could theoretically have a point. Take Pennsylvania Dutch for example. It is basically a very old form of the German language. (A dialect but still). US Americans who speak it, have preserved it without altering it over generations since their first German ancestors immigrated to the US. They still speak the language of their forefathers, while German in Germany has evolved into something new.
I only learned this because of my high school 10th grade Spanish teacher, whose first language is Spanish, second language is French, and third language is English.
Isn't the Midwest accent so slight that it's considered "TV talk," though? It's basically the national news show accent.
What are youse taakin' about? I'm from Chicawgo and I ain't got no yack-cent."
There are many accents across America, but there is also something called "non-regional diction" that many syndicated tv shows and newscasters use. It's still an American accent, but many Americans think they don't have an accent because they sound like the people on tv instead of someone from Boston or New York or Mississippi which all sound verrrrry different from one another.
Eh, that's not quite right at all... the American forefathers would have had a "Cavelier" accent. Basically, the same accent as Dill Sheppard in "American Dad". That would have been the "generic" British accent of that era as well. What we know today as British and American accents didn't exist yet, they both developed over the last 240-ish years
We Americans do have accents when in different countries and in different areas of our own country away from the region you live in. Idiots.
My little brother came home from school one day and told me one of his teachers said something like that last bit. That Americans speak English as it's always been spoken, and the British accent changed. Seemed kinda sus to me.
I very much doubt that is true for so very many reasons - main one being that there so many different accents given the land mass in the uk - I'd say what is more likely is that settlers from all over the uk ended up in towns and over time their accents melded into a newer version. I mean, the difference between a Scottish accent and a southern English one is worlds apart. Of course that is just my thinking, but it wouldn't make sense that somehow those leaving the uk to live in America would maintain an accent while natives of the lands they left behind would suddenly change their accent? What would influence such a change when surrounded by people who have always talked a certain way? But then, my brother moved to America 15yrs ago - he still sounds Glaswegian and likely always will but his wife and kids (all born in america) have developed a Scottish/American twang - maybe strongest accent wins?
Load More Replies...I’m English and I’d admire the delusional Americans not much! Accents? Every person has some accent!
If you live in America, to you, you probably don't think you have a accent, But you travel to another country, to them you do have a accent. Like a native from another country, they don't think they have a accent according to their language, but they come here to us they would have a accent.
Ah, the Midwest, my home region. Home of the "ooh YAH" and "No Yah" (that means yes) "Yah Noo" (that means no) (no yah noo) that means a confident no, "yah no yah" (that's a confident yes) and so on
Well I'm face palming myself all over the place seeing as hell 90% of the idiots reading this cannot tell a joke when they see one most of this is just making fun of the little girl saying she has no accent we all have access and my accent as a deep southerner is different than her accent as someone from the Midwest it is just unbelievable how people have no idea what's going on.
In Response To Georgia Applying For The Eu
I am constantly confused by this... Before we got teached the USA in geography, I only knew the European Georgia (birthplace of Stalin) and everytime I read Georgia, I think of Europe. But 99% of the time it's about the US state.
The Closest Evolutionary Relative Of Humans Is The Penguin
Is There Anyone More Confidently Incorrect Than A Religious Zealot?
That's Not How Lactation Works
Okay, so about cows and milk: for a cow to give milk, it has to have become pregnant first. This starts a lactation cycle. A cow doesn't have to continue to nurse a calf in order to keep giving milk; as long as you milk it every day, a single lactation cycle can continue for several years. But if anything interrupts the cycle, like illness, or the cow just gets badly frightened or bored (I'm not kidding), they can stop giving milk. The only thing to do in that case is breed the cow again, and start another lactation cycle. Many farmers breed their cows every year to ensure uninterrupted milking. Yup, spent some time on a dairy farm, and got family that breed dairy cows.
Fat-Shaming A Normal Size Person
64,5 kg for 1,70 m is perfectly fine. She rather not lose weight or she'll start getting underweighted.
My Husband's English Degree Is Screaming From The Drawer
This Dude Gotta Be Living In An Alternate Timeline
No no you don't understand. All those places China savagely invaded were actually part of China, so its not really an invasion (!)
The Top Review For This Manga Volume On Amazon
I'm sure on the first Page (Western style) is an explanation why this is and how to proppetly read the book. Especially for those morons every translated manga I ever Held in hand had such a manual side.
Note: this post originally had 95 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
A few months ago in class we had to do a ppt about the geographic features of Africa which would be graded. A friend of mine added in the ppt and said with full confidence that the Amazon Rainforest is found in Africa.
Like how that female talked about how it takes 19months to have twins?
Load More Replies...One of these days I'm going to open a newspaper or my Google feed is going to have a headline that reads "Scientists apologize. America was a failed experiment."
It has nothing to do with America and everything to do with American education
Load More Replies...Because a lot of Christians make it easy to mock. (I say this as a Christian).
Load More Replies...since the war in Ukraine started and all the informations about russia manipulating us online, in the news and politics since YEARS came out....i started to believe, that all those stupid people online are actually Russian and Chinese trolls trying to separate us... I know it sound like a conspiracy theory but it gives me hope... hope that not everyone is so stupid as they pretend to be online.
They are paid tho. My ex coworker answered and ad and that would have been her job.
Load More Replies...Sometimes I wonder if it's our own fault these people exists. We have managed to create a world so safe, no matter how idiotic these morons are, it's unlikely for natural selection to take its course . Unlike our ancestors. And with the internet, it's starting to get pretty depressing.
The thing is they are paid. It is a distraction.
Load More Replies...I really wish, before someone "explains" something, they have the CORRECT facts. Apparently the 45 year old never listened to any doctor she ever saw or any female she ever knew, what menopause was. Even jokes about it. Where has she been living, under a rock? Oh no, she'd rather spew c**p about vaccinations. Here's a thought...shut up. The only people who are OBSESSED about the vaccine are the ones NOT vaxx'd. Really!!. My SIL calls MONTHLY to see if me and the hubby(both of us vaxx'd) have gotten Covid yet. Nope. But she and her unvaxxed kids are getting it month after month.
A few months ago in class we had to do a ppt about the geographic features of Africa which would be graded. A friend of mine added in the ppt and said with full confidence that the Amazon Rainforest is found in Africa.
Like how that female talked about how it takes 19months to have twins?
Load More Replies...One of these days I'm going to open a newspaper or my Google feed is going to have a headline that reads "Scientists apologize. America was a failed experiment."
It has nothing to do with America and everything to do with American education
Load More Replies...Because a lot of Christians make it easy to mock. (I say this as a Christian).
Load More Replies...since the war in Ukraine started and all the informations about russia manipulating us online, in the news and politics since YEARS came out....i started to believe, that all those stupid people online are actually Russian and Chinese trolls trying to separate us... I know it sound like a conspiracy theory but it gives me hope... hope that not everyone is so stupid as they pretend to be online.
They are paid tho. My ex coworker answered and ad and that would have been her job.
Load More Replies...Sometimes I wonder if it's our own fault these people exists. We have managed to create a world so safe, no matter how idiotic these morons are, it's unlikely for natural selection to take its course . Unlike our ancestors. And with the internet, it's starting to get pretty depressing.
The thing is they are paid. It is a distraction.
Load More Replies...I really wish, before someone "explains" something, they have the CORRECT facts. Apparently the 45 year old never listened to any doctor she ever saw or any female she ever knew, what menopause was. Even jokes about it. Where has she been living, under a rock? Oh no, she'd rather spew c**p about vaccinations. Here's a thought...shut up. The only people who are OBSESSED about the vaccine are the ones NOT vaxx'd. Really!!. My SIL calls MONTHLY to see if me and the hubby(both of us vaxx'd) have gotten Covid yet. Nope. But she and her unvaxxed kids are getting it month after month.